Phillies bench wrestles 3B Alec Bohm for NLDS Game 2 vs. Mets; Edmundo Sosa to replace him

The Philadelphia Phillies are making a lineup change for Sunday’s Game 2 of their National League Division Series against the New York Mets. Alec Bohm is no longer in the starting lineup and Edmundo Sosa is at third base against Mets starter Luis Severino.

Bohm was an NL All-Star this season, hitting .280 with a .779 OPS, 44 doubles, 15 home runs and 97 RBI.

He’s had a hard time. Bohm went 0-for-4 in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Mets, seeing just seven pitches. In September, he hit .170 (8-for-47) with a .502 OPS.

Sosa hit .191 with a .504 OPS against right-handed pitching this season, and .154 (4-for-26) in September, making this move curious. But Phillies manager Rob Thomson thinks a shakeup is necessary.

“He’s kind of our energy guy,” Thomson said in reference to Sosa. “Bohm doesn’t swing the bat particularly well, but he’s not the only one. He’s frustrated. But I just wanted to get Sosa in.”

Sosa will be eighth in the lineup on Sunday.

“He goes out and runs around,” Thomson added. “And I think he gives energy to other people too, and that’s what we need.”

As Thomson noted during a call with reporters on Sunday, Bohm isn’t the only Phillies hitter having problems. Philadelphia scored just two runs and five hits in the 6-2 loss of Game 1.

The decision isn’t necessarily a matter of matchups. Bohm is 0-for-3 in his career against Severino, while Sosa has never faced him. In two starts against the Phillies this season, Severino compiled a 4.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings.

Bohm is expected to start Game 3 against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. He has two hits in nine at-bats with two strikeouts, a home run and two RBI in that game.